Only Love Can Break Your Heart Revised Edition
by 0x0xLOVE and WARx0x0
Summary: They had the perfect life until a sudden headache flipped their world upside down. Will tragedy break them or heal them? Will a near death experience scar one for life? And will the other ever return to normal? Come along for the ride. [READ & REVIEW!]
1. Chapter 1: Headaches & Dates

_**Author's Note: **So...this is my latest project lol. Revising_ Only Love Can Break Your Heart. _So anywaaays...I'm posting it mostly for just some feedback on the revisions, but I have a feeling there's some people out there who haven't read it yet so...there's that reason too. I've only done the first chapter but I'll get to the other chapters. And to_ How A Heart Breaks _and all of my other stories. Especially_ SensitivityKills_ as it hasen't been updated in...ever. ha._ READ & REVIEW! 

**_Disclaimer:_**

_I do not own Rebecca. (As I've said before, I didn't make up her character.)_

_I do not own_ The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_ or any of it's contents, storylines, people, or places. (Basically anything involved lol)_

_I do own Raine and any other characters created from my own wild imagination lol. _

**THIS DISCLAIMER GOES FOR ALL CHAPTERS OF THIS STORY.**

xxx

**Part One**

_Chapter 1: Headaches and Dates_

It's only the beginning

It's only the beginning of the end

_- Beginning, Lit_

Zack and Cody Martin entered the Tipton hotel, where they'd lived for the past seven months. Zack rubbed his head roughly, trying unsuccessfully to make his agonizing (and annoying) headache go away. He hadn't felt like himself all day and the headache just made everything worse. He hated being sick. Cody noticed his twin brother was a little off but figured he was fine; he always was. Zack liked to make things appear worse than they really were. So Cody ran off to look for Raine, one of the twins' best friends, and Zack sat on the step in front of the elevators leading to the various floors still rubbing his head in annoyance. Rebecca, Zack's girlfriend of about two months, rushed over all excited.

"Hey!" she greeted him brightly.

Zack glanced up wearily and flatly said, "Hey." Rebecca studied him curiously for a minute.

"What's wrong? You seem a little… pale," She asked him, the smallest hint of worry evident in her voice.

"Nothing," He replied, even though his head was killing him.

Rebecca shrugged the issue off and continued,

"Okay… well do you wanna do something together tonight?" Zack figured his headache would go away by then…hopefully.

"Okay."

"Great!" Rebecca cheered as she ran off happily leaving Zack to figure out a way to get rid of his headache before that evening…

xxx

As what Zack assumed a glimpse of good luck, his headache dulled sufficiently by the time he had to leave for Rebecca's suite down the hall for their date.

But, as he reached Rebecca's door around 5 o'clock that evening, he realized he felt cold. And not just cold like "Hey it's cold outside." Cold like, from the inside out.

_"The air must be on full blast," _He thought, though he didn't really believe himself, as he knocked lightly on Rebecca's door.

"Hey!" She greeted as she stepped out of her suite, as cheerful as ever.

"Hey…" Zack said, suddenly not so enthusiastic. Suddenly, he really didn't want to be there.

"Let's go!" she said cheerily.

"Okay."

Rebecca chattered on about school and where they could go, but Zack didn't pay the slightest attention. He couldn't understand _why _he was so cold. And his headache earlier…maybe…

Just as they were approaching the elevator, Zack decided to grab his jacket, figuring if he was this cold _inside_, how cold would he be _outside_?

"Hey," He said turning to her, "I'll be right back…I…uhhh… forgot something." Rebecca nodded in understanding and he ran back into his suite. After some brief searching, he found his jacket lying on the desk chair in his room. Zack picked it up and raced back out into the living room, even though he wasn't entirely thrilled about his date with Rebecca…he didn't want to make her wait too long.

But before he had the chance, he got dizzy. Really dizzy, like he'd been spinning around and around and around for about 3 hours. He felt nauseated, so much for not being sick.

The room started spinning. He felt his legs give in, and he felt his head hit the hard floor. Zack heard Cody shout his name, and then… his vision faded to black.

xxx

_**Author's Note: **Cliffhanger lol. I added about 300 words, just to let all of you know :) REVIEW! _

**_Fig_**


	2. Chapter 2: Lost & Found Hope

_**Author's Note: **Quick update? lol. This chapter took a long time to write lol...I think it actually might be one of the longer ones...well...that is...as of now. And I've only done two chapters so...Anyways expect Chapter 3 tomorrow or so! _READ & REVIEW! 

(Remember that the disclaimer from the previous chapter applies for all chapters of this story...which is the reason this chapter does not have one posted)

xxx

_Chapter 2: Lost and Found Hope_

Is it just me lyin' here

Or is someone breathing

Why do I live in fear

When I'm not sure you're here

_- Calm & Collapsed, The Exies_

Cody raced to his brother's side, mind racing. He'd just been coming upstairs to grab some money for the game room and he'd seen Zack fall and…Oh God. This wasn't good. What do you do when your brother collapses in your living room?

_"Well that's a dumb question Cody," _he scolded himself, _"You wake him up."_ He had a nasty feeling it wasn't going to be that easy though.

"Zack! Zack!" He could hear his voice shaking nervously as he shook his brother, using one of the only ways he knew to wake someone up, "ZACK!"

Maybe he should go get somebody…but he really didn't want to leave Zack here by himself…

At about the same time, Rebecca ventured to Zack's suite, wondering what could possibly be keeping him. He'd only said he'd forgotten something. She entered the doorway to the Martin's suite and dropped her purse loudly in shock. Cody's head whipped around.

"Wha-what happened?" she asked when she finally found the ability to speak.

"I don't know!" Cody told her; he was shaking, "Go…go get somebody to come help. And get my mom!"

Rebecca nodded quickly and practically ran out of the room, which was kind of hard considering she was in heels. She rushed into the elevator and down to the lobby. Thinking quickly she ran to Mr. Moseby and explained the situation which soon attracted Maddie and Raine, who happened to be in the lobby, who ran and got Carey from her show. And all five of them rushed upstairs at once.

"Cody stop…don't touch him!" Carey instructed her youngest son as she knelt on Zack's other side and the others gathered around. Cody pulled his hands away and shakily edged away.

"Zack? Honey?" There was silence as Carey called to him softly. Only still silence answered her.

"Zack!" She called out, alarmed, "Somebody call 911!"

Raine jumped up from her position on the floor and grabbed the nearest phone. She dialed the emergency number and spoke clearly into the receiver, just as they were taught in school.

"Hello?... Yes my friend Zack Martin collapsed and he…he won't wake up… Okay…Tipton Hotel, twenty-third floor, suite thirty… Thank you." She hung up the phone and turned to the rest of the group.

"They said they'd rush right over," She told them as she knelt again beside Cody, who was staring intently into his brother's face, as though he could wake him up by simply staring at him. She hugged him in a form of comfort, while Maddie hugged a Rebecca, who had burst into tears.

"It's okay, Zack. Help's coming." Carey murmured to him gently as she stroked his forehead.

xxx

About five minutes later, the hospital workers came in and loaded Zack onto a stretcher. The group followed close behind; Raine slipped her hand into Cody's.

xxx

23 floors and a parking lot later, Carey turned slowly to Cody. What she needed to tell him wasn't exactly easy.

"I'm going to go with Zack in the ambulance; I want you to stay here…at the hotel," She instructed.

Cody's froze, "No…" he told her softly, "No. I'm going with you."

Carey sighed, how could she possibly think Cody would stay here? She nodded silently.

"Alright, you can come" She hesitated before adding, "…all of you." So, with that said and the ambulance driver's consent, the group piled into the ambulance with the exception of Mr. Moseby who had to stay and manage the hotel.

The tears started falling the minute they entered the ambulance. It seemed that just about every face had tears running down it, except for Zack, of course, and the hospital worker who looked on sympathetically as he worked.

"He'll be ok…he'll be fine..." Raine tried to assure them, despite the tears trailing down her own face.

xxx

The minute the group stepped into the hospital, the hospital workers rushed Zack to the Emergency Room with Carey trailing behind. The remaining four found a group of four chairs off in a corner of the waiting room which they chose. Raine tried to tell Cody that everything would be okay, but he seemed to be in another world, and didn't listen to her. Rebecca was pretty shaken up too. At one point she let out a wail so loud and high it attracted the entire waiting room. A kind man wandered over and asked her if she was alright. She blushed and muttered that she was fine.

xxx

Meanwhile in the ER…

The doctors worked on examining Zack from head to toe. After nearly a half an hour, they finally informed Carey he had a mild concussion from the fall (which was nearly five feet), but that wasn't the worst of his condition. He had a virus inside his body and he might _never _wake again. They said they would try their hardest… but that was the only promise they made.

Carey followed sadly as they carried Zack to a hospital room. He was hooked up to a respirator and a heart rate monitor. Carey held his hand tightly as she watched him lay there, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths.

xxx

After what felt like an hour later, the unthinkable occurred. Zack flat lined. The defibrillator was brought out…but was to no avail. There was nothing more they could do. The nurse shook her head sadly as she left Carey and Zack alone. Carey dropped her head to the bed, still holding Zack's hand, refusing to let him get away from her.

And then, by what seemed to be a full-blown miracle, Zack's heart rate sped up, though awkward at first. His eyes fluttered open.

"Mom?" he croaked.

Carey jerked her head up at the sound of her son's voice, genuinely surprised by how small and weak it sounded.

"Z-zack!" She whispered, breathlessly, "n-nurse!" she called.

The nurse rushed in and was as stunned to see Zack alive as Carey was. The doctor was called in and tests were run on Zack. Carey held Zack's hand through it all, smiling as the tears still streamed down her face.

xxx

_**Author's Note: **Wow...yes long chapter. Took forever to edit. Enjoy!_

**_Fig_**


	3. Chapter 3: Visits & I Love Yous

_**Author's Note: **Well let's see...June 19th was the last update. I'd say that's pretty good, wouldn't you? And this is a long chapter! Woo! I'm on a writing roll lol! Updated Sensitivity Kills, getting the How A Heart Breaks update ready. Updating this. Yessss! Haha. Anyways sooo...here it is Chapter 3. Hope you enjoy :)_

(Remember that the disclaimer from thefirst chapter applies for all chapters of this story...which is the reason this chapter does not have one posted)

xxx

_Chapter 3: Visits and I Love Yous_

Everything's all right  
When you're right here by my side  
When you look me in the eyes

_- Look Me in the Eyes, The Jonas Brothers_

Nearly an hour later, a nurse came out to the waiting room and over to the little group, who had calmed some. Another nurse had visited them earlier and told them Zack's condition, on Carey's request. The four stood up at once.

"You can come with me now," She said, smiling, which could only be a good sign. The group eagerly (and nervously) hurried to follow her.

They walked down the twisting corridors in complete silence. Cody stared nervously at the sick people lingering along the walls and talking to nurses or being escorted via wheelchair by more nurses, none of which appeared to be very happy about being there. Was this the fate that beheld Zack?

When they finally arrived at Zack's room, which was just a normal, boring room except for the fact that there was a small window embedded into the wall. The blinds were down, however, so they couldn't see inside. The nurse smiled at them again and then left them alone. The four glanced at each other awkwardly. What? Where they just supposed to go in? Needless to say, they were extremely relieved when Carey emerged from the room, smiling brightly.

"You can go in one at a time," She told them (well that answered their question), "Don't be rough with him though, he's tired." They nodded quickly as Carey turned slowly to Cody.

"You can go first," Cody hesitated. Now that he was actually there, standing in front of the door to his brother's room, he wasn't so sure he wanted to go in…he turned to the others. They nodded eagerly as Raine gave him a gentle push. He sucked in a deep breath as he turned around and opened the door.

Cody was taken aback by what he saw when he opened the door. He'd only been in a hospital once, that he could remember. That had been about four years ago when Zack had fallen on him trying to climb a tree, consequently breaking his leg. Cody had had to be rushed to the hospital. Zack had been grounded for a month; he was never supposed to be climbing that tree. But this was a whole lot different, he could see that already. For one thing, there were a bunch of machines, some he recognized, others he didn't, scattered into the corners near the bed., which he was avoiding looking at just yet. The room was small and built for one patient. There wasn't a window, except the one which faced into the hallway. There was television attached to the wall across from the room. And then, since he'd gone over just about the entire room, Cody turned to face the bed. He felt his heart start to hammer just at the sight of his older brother. He looked sort of smaller, if that was possible, lying in that hospital bed. He looked paler too…sick.

"_Well, duh," _Cody told himself sharply, _"He _is_ sick!"_ He felt like running. Turning around and running away from this awkward moment, from all of this. But he knew he couldn't do that. So, instead, he slowly –nervously- approached the bed, dragging a chair over next to it. He sat down and watched Zack for a few minutes. His eyes were closed, but Cody couldn't really tell if he was sleeping or not. He remembered his mother telling them he was tired.

"Hey…" He said, keeping his voice down, just incase he really was sleeping. Cody couldn't tell whether he was more relieved or scared when Zack opened his eyes and turned to look at him, a small smile forming upon his face.

"Hey."

"How you doin?" Cody asked him, feeling like a complete dope.

"_How do you_ think_ he's feeling, Cody?"_

Zack shrugged wearily,

"Okay…I guess," He said, and then thinking that sounded stupid, considering the heart monitor beeping in the background and the respirator helping him breathe, "Err… I feel okay, except my head hurts."

"Oh."

"Raine here?" Zack asked, trying to come up with something to say; trying to ignore the fact that he was lying in a hospital bed.

"Yeah…she's outside," Cody said nodding.

"I knew she'd come," Zack replied, that sly, mischievous grin appearing.

"What do you mean?"

"C'mon Cody! She's _crazy_ about you! Of course she'd be here!"

"I guess so…" Cody muttered softly, trying to calm the blush creeping across his face.

"Is Rebecca here too?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Anybody else?"

"Just Maddie."

"My sweet thang's here?"

Cody laughed slightly, "Yeah…course."

"Yeah."

There was another awkward pause, and then Zack spoke again,

"I love you Cody."

"I love you too, Zack," Cody replied, surprised. It was a rare occasion that those few words were brought into a conversation, but both felt that it needed to be said.

Zack forced a small smile for his brother, desperately trying to hide his mixing emotions.

Cody hesitated before muttering, "I better let somebody else take a turn."

"Yeah."

"I'll be back later though, ok?"

"Okay."

"Bye Zack," Cody said, the disappointment showing on his face, as he pulled himself from the chair and left the room.

"Bye," Zack said, sad to see his brother leave so soon, but feeling even worse that he was alone again.

But, much to Zack's approval, as soon as Cody left, Raine came in with her pretty smile planted on her face. Zack couldn't help but smile back. Her outlook on the entire situation was completely different from Cody's. She didn't ask how he was feeling, though Zack knew better than to think she didn't care. She blabbered on about how upset Cody was and went on and on about him. Zack listened amused, nodding at the appropriate times. He (as well as Rebecca) knew they liked each other. And then Raine left too and Maddie came in. She didn't stay as long as the previous two, but assured him she'd bring him extra _free_ candy while during his stay there and that she loved him. Oh, did that ever bring a smile to his face! And then, it was Rebecca's turn.

She was worried; Zack could tell that by just glancing at her. And she'd been crying. Rebecca tended to be overemotional.

She sat in the chair Cody'd placed beside the bed, trying to avoid having to look at him. Zack figured he must look pretty bad, since Cody'd done the same thing.

"Hi," She got out finally.

"Hi!" Zack said, with at least twice the enthusiasm as her. An awkward pause followed. Rebecca stared around again, once more trying to avoid looking at the sorry sight in the bed next to her. After at least five minutes, Zack spoke up,

"Rebecca, I-I'm sorry," Rebecca snapped her head around to look at him, at last.

"What?" she questioned, purely shocked.

"Our date… it…it was ruined. I'm sorry."

"Zack!" She scolded, trying not to sound to harsh, "It's not your fault. These things happen,"

"You sure?" He asked her nervously.

"Yes!" Rebecca nodded, her head bobbing up and down.

"Okay…I love you," He told her.

"I love you too, Zack," She said, smiling, as she leaned in to kiss him. Zack pushed her away.

"No…" He said, shaking his head, "I don't want you to get sick too."

He tried to ignore the hurt look on her face, which lasted about a minute before she nodded.

"Okay… I'd better go… Bye!" She said, all in a rush, and hugged him tightly. She was halfway to the door when she turned around, "I'll take a rain check on that, kay?"

Zack laughed, "Yeah…okay."

Rebecca left as Carey entered, both with smiles printed on their faces.

"Hey," She said as she came up to the bed, pushing the chair out of the way.

"Hey, Mom…" Zack said, trying to stifle a yawn, just noticing that he felt tired.

"Cody and I are gunna go get something to eat and then we'll be back, alright?"

"Okay," He answered, nodding sleepily.

"Get some rest…We'll be back in about an hour."

"Ok, Mom."

Carey smiled as she tucked him in and kissed his forehead lovingly.

"Love you," She whispered softly.

"Love you too," Zack answered. She hadn't even shut the door before he was out, completely exhausted.

xxx

_**Author's Note: **Well there you have it. Chapter 3. Chapter 4 will be shorter I think...so it won't take so long to revise. Should be up either sometime this week or next week (Though I'm not making any promises). Chapter 9 of How A Heart Breaks will be up shortly. I just need to write the last part of the chapter and then type it up so look out for that also._

**_Fig_**


	4. Chapter 4: Tipping the Balance

_**Author's Note: **HA! Two days! Woo hoo...but then again...the story's already written..all I needed to do was edit it haha. So this chapter has a new title and some new parts to it. I'm going to try (note word: try) to finish Chapter 9 of How A Heart Breaks by tomorrow. So expect an update of that soon! I have pretty much nothing more to say so here is Chapter 4!_

(Remember that the disclaimer from the first chapter applies for all chapters of this story...which is the reason this chapter does not have one posted)

xxx

_Chapter 4: Tipping the Balance_

One thing that I'm scared of

Is losing hold of you

_-Scared, A1 (The A List)_

"Zack's improving very nicely," That's what the doctor told them. And those were the words Cody repeated in his head all week. _"Zack's improving very nicely…Zack's improving very nicely…"_

And he was. By Thursday he'd been taken off the respirator, though the machine still resided near Zack's bed. And his fever was lessening gradually, from a high 104.7 when he'd first arrived to just 103.9 three days later.

Needless to say, Zack was enjoying the attention he received. Maddie dropped by his room nearly every afternoon after her shift to bring him the candy she'd promised, though it was usually left uneaten on the side table. And Rebecca brought him his favorite magazines and comics for entertainment, though sitting in bed watching TV all day proved to do the trick. Even Moseby stopped in to visit, telling him that the hotel just wasn't the same without him.

But, as they say, all good things must come to an end. And this particular end came on the third day Zack had been there, on Friday.

xxx

Cody had come by after school, like he'd been doing the last few days. He usually bored Zack to death (not literally, of course) talking about school. And he'd chat up a storm, pausing occasionally to ask Zack a question to which Zack would nod, half-asleep, and mutter 'yes' or 'mm-hmm' or 'yeah,' something of that sort. And the previous day he'd actually literally _put him to sleep._

"…so what do you think?" Cody asked his brother, waiting patiently for an answer that never came.

"Zack?" Cody turned expectantly towards his brother, "Z-Zack?" Cody backed away slightly. Zack's face had gone pale, almost identical to the way he'd been when they'd brought him in.

Thinking he ought to do something Cody yelled out to the hall where he was almost sure his mother was discussing something with Dr. Jamison, Zack's main doctor,

"M-MOM!" His voice was shaking, "N-NURSE…ANYBODY!"

Carey, Dr. Jamison, and a nurse ran into the room. Cody was ushered out of the way. He heard Dr. Jamison talking to the nurse about breathing and heart rates and pulses and…

"Cody, what happened!" He vaguely heard his mother ask him. And he heard his own voice answer, shakier than he figured it had ever been.

"I-I was j-just t-talking to h-him a-and then…" He trailed off and gestured to Zack who was still lying motionless in the bed.

Cody's vision blurred with tears as he watched helplessly from the sidelines as Dr. Jamison brought out the defibrillator and shocked his brother's chest continuously.

Cody huddled deeper into the shelter of his mother's arms, until the shouting finally ceased and he could hear his brother coughing harshly. He heard Dr. Jamison sigh with relief, as well as his mother, as the nurse hooked Zack back up to the respirator.

The doctor stepped aside after informing Carey he'd like a word with her in a few minutes, to let them have a few minutes alone.

Carey stepped forward and collapsed into the chair still sitting next to the bed, the tears already spilling over.

Cody stood back in the corner. A million thoughts passed through his head as he stared at his brother, lying still in the hospital bed, breathing with the help of a machine. Less than five minutes passed until he couldn't take it any longer. He muttered something about being right back in a voice that didn't sound anything like his own as he hurried out of the room and down the hall to the boys' bathroom. He locked himself in a stall and let the tears come.

xxx

And after that afternoon, Cody was a mess. Unable to get rid of the images in his head, he spent long nights awake, the tears constantly running down his face- constantly worrying about his twin.

xxx

_**Author's Note: **Chapter 5 WILL take a LONG time to revise. It was long to begin with. I may end up splitting it into two chapters...but I'm not sure as of now. So the next thing you should probably be looking for will be an update of How A Heart Breaks._

**_Fig_**


	5. Chapter 5: Glass Shattered

_**Author's Note: **Gah loonngg. lol. Soooo uhhh it has a new title, and I tweaked around the ending a bit. Changed some sentences and stuff like that. Hmmm ummm still working on Chapter 6 of Sensitivity Kills (gah no I don't know when it's going to be up, sorry) and Chapter 11 of How A Heart Breaks (gah hopefully up soon :)). And ummm I've got nothing left to say except check out my new oneshot Look Into the Mirror :)_

_(Remember that the disclaimer from the first chapter applies for all chapters of this story...which is the reason this chapter does not have one posted)_

xxx

_Chapter 5: Glass Shattered_

As we die, both you and I  
With my head in my hands  
I sit and cry

_-Don't Speak, No Doubt_

The following afternoon, Rebecca who was deeply concerned about Zack, having heard about what had happened the previous day, stopped by his room unaccompanied. She just wanted to be alone with him.

Unfortunately, Zack had fallen asleep having had multiple tests done that morning. Rebecca sighed as the approached the bed and sat down, trying to keep as quiet as possible as she scooted the chair a bit closer. She picked up his hand and held it, stroking it softly. How could this happen?

Her mind wandered aimlessly backwards. Her own words rang clearly in her head.

_"What's wrong? You seem a little… pale,"_

_"Nothing,"_

Maybe she should've said something. Maybe…

"Oh my God," She thought, a sudden thought dawning on her, "Maybe if I would've…"

That sentence didn't get finished however, for at that precise moment Cody entered the room and screamed. Rebecca's head shot up.

"Cody!" She started but he was already running out of the room. "Cody!" She repeated, gently setting Zack's hand back on the bed and rushing after Cody.

Rebecca found him sitting on a chair on a bench in the next hallway. He was wiping roughly at his eyes. She sat down next to him; he didn't seem to notice.

"Cody," She began, touching his arm lightly. He flinched, surprised, but turned to look at her, the tears shining in his eyes.

"Sorry," He muttered, switching his gaze back to the floor.

She didn't know what to say to that. What was he sorry for; for running in on them? It's not like they'd been doing anything.

"Cody, what's going on?" Rebecca asked gently as a few tears ran down his cheek.

"I don't…" He mumbled, barely audible, "and Zack…" Cody trailed off and wiped his eyes again.

"What about Zack?"

"He's…" Cody glanced up at her quickly, "He almost _died_ yesterday, Becca."

She nodded.

"I'm scared, Becca." He whispered cautiously.

"Cody, it's okay. Zack's going to be fine. There's nothing to be afraid of."

She didn't get the reaction she'd expected.

"No!" He yelled, standing, "It's _not_ going to be okay! _Nothing_ is! Everyone keeps saying that and it's _not_!" He tore down the hall, furious tears streaming down his face.

He didn't very far before he ran straight into Raine. He fell backwards, partially confused, but before Raine had a chance to react he'd thrown his arms around her neck, sobbing pitifully into her shoulder.

"Cody…Cody what's wrong?" She asked, her voice arching in worry. Cody shook his head against her shoulder.

Raine looked to Rebecca for help, but Rebecca merely shrugged, the look of confusion upon her face the only explanation.

xxx

A short while later, Raine decided to visit Zack. He was awake by that time; he would've still been asleep if it hadn't been for one of the nurse's carts crashing into the wall right outside his room.

She walked in, sitting down in the chair beside the bed. She was just happy to be away from all the chaos. Cody hadn't stop crying, _yet._

Zack glanced up from the magazine he'd been reading, but immediately dropped it at the look on her face.

"What's wrong!" He asked her, worried. Raine, who's hands couldn't seem to stop fidgeting, shook her head as she stared into her hands.

"Raine…"

Raine looked up at him slowly. He stared at her, concerned and starting to feel slightly scared.

"Raine, what's going on?"

Sighing shakily, Raine opened her mouth and spoke, "It…it's Cody."

Zack felt his heart sink considerably, fear gripping him tightly, "Wha-what about him? Is…is he okay?"

Raine shrugged, "Y-yeah…physically I guess. B-but mentally, I-I'm not so sure."

Zack's brow furrowed in puzzlement, "What d'you mean?"

Raine sighed again, "R-Rebecca said she came into see you earlier, w-while you were asleep. Cody came in and apparently screamed or something. I w-wasn't there so I don't really know…b-but he was crying and…he hasn't been talking to anyone since."

Zack stared at his hands.

"Where is he now?" He asked, his voice only slightly louder than a whisper.

"With your mom and Rebecca."

"I-I wanna see him," Zack said shakily after a while.

Raine nodded, her line of vision long since averted back to her hands, "Me too...j-just give him a while to calm down."

"That bad, huh?" Zack muttered softly, refusing to look at her.

Raine nodded slowly, "Yeah. H-he was r-really shook up."

Zack shook his head, still staring at his hands, "This is all my fault."

"It is not!" Raine shot back, appalled.

"Yes it is, Raine! If I hadn't gotten sick…if I hadn't had to be put in here…none of this would've ever happened!" He retorted, finally lifting his eyes to meet hers defiantly, "It is, Raine! It is!"

Raine grabbed his hand forcefully and held onto it tight. Her face grew firm and serious, "It's not."

xxx

Zack calmed shortly, leaving Raine with a wide open opportunity to check and see if Cody was alright. Raine confirmed that Zack was okay ("I'm fine, Raine," he'd told her, stressing the word 'fine.') and left the boring white hospital room.

She found the trio sitting on one of the couches in the lobby, set off from the rest of the room. Cody sat between the two of them, his head leaning on Carey's shoulder, shoulders shaking with sobs. Carey's arm lay draped across them, her fingers softly stroking his hair. Rebecca sat on his other side, squirming uncomfortably.

Raine made her unobtrusive appearance, building herself a post standing beside Rebecca, who noticed her straight away, jumping up and rushing out of the room so fast you could've sworn there was a fire or something. Raine filled in the empty space where Rebecca had sat, knowing she'd run straight to Zack's room.

After a while, Raine spoke up, feeling slightly impatient, "Do you…" she asked, directing the question towards Carey, "Do you mind if I talk to Cody…a-alone?"

Carey's eyebrows shot up as she debated the question. She gave up on herself and turned to Cody,

"Will you be okay?" She asked him softly, as Cody lifted his head from her shoulder. He nodded slowly; not knowing if he felt up to speaking quite yet.

Carey smiled and nodded, "Okay then. I'll be right back," she said as she rose from her seat and left, leaving the two alone.

Mere seconds after she'd gone, Cody flung his arms around Raine, sobbing deeply into her shoulder as he'd done in the hall. She wrapped her arms around him almost awkwardly, suddenly silent. The receptionist's fingers clicking away on the keyboard, relatives and friends of patients' footsteps as they entered and left, occasional ambulances whizzing by on their way to help another person in need, and Cody's constant hiccupping and sobbing were the only sounds filling the almost empty lobby.

After several people stopped by their couch, asking quite bluntly if he was alright, Raine decided they should take a walk. Cody agreed, but gripped her hand painfully tight as they roamed the halls. They were about to pass Zack's room when Cody stopped, frozen in his tracks, gripping Raine's hand even tighter- if that was possible.

"Y-you wanna go in?" She asked, gently. Cody nodded yes, using his other hand to dry the tears glistening on his face. Raine smiled as she opened the door and walked in, to which Cody followed suit, except he didn't smile.

Cody walked stiffly to the bed, as Zack dropped the magazine he'd been flipping through onto the bedside table. Zack studied his brother's read and tear streaked face. Tears were once again falling, but this time Cody didn't bother to wipe them away.

"Cody…" Zack began, astonished as he watched his brother sit down in the chair, shaking slightly. Raine, sensing the two wanted to be alone, quietly left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Cody?" Zack repeated, a worried tone edging his voice, "What's wrong?"

Cody, who'd been staring blankly at the wall, trying to make some sense of all of this, turned to face his elder brother. His hands shook in his lap, clenching and unclenching handfuls of his jeans.

"Cody…what's wrong?" Zack repeated a second time.

"I don't know…" Cody whispered near inaudibly, bending over onto Zack's bed, his head in his arms.

"What do you mean?" Zack asked, pulling himself up to a better sitting position which proved to be a difficult task, "Buddy?"

Cody shook his head.

"Come on, Cody. Please tell me," Zack pleaded, rubbing his brother's back as best he could without hurting himself.

"Buddy…C'mon…we've never kept secrets like this…d-don't start now!"

Cody was starting to calm down, but Zack wasn't. He was starting to panic. This _was_ all his fault,_ everything_. Cody wouldn't be slumped over crying on a hospital bed for reasons he had yet to discover if he hadn't had to be there in the first place. Raine was wrong.

But for Cody's sake, he kept egging his younger brother on, trying to figure out what was wrong. But Cody, stubborn as he was, refused to talk, at all, to anyone.

His grades slowly dropped, from As to Ds, and he started spending more time in his room, away from everyone else, trapping himself in his own little world.

And while Carey had worried at the beginning, she began to seriously worry when he stopped eating, now spending all of his time in his room refusing to speak to anyone.

Nightmares frequently woke him in the wee hours of the morning, leaving him trembling with fear and unable to fall back asleep.

Carey made the decision to throw him into therapy, sending him to some of the best psychologists around. But they couldn't get a word out of him as he glared out the windows, letting their words fly in one ear and out the other.

Carey'd always known her youngest son was sensitive and quite easy breakable, but she'd never expected this from him. She tried her best, but he refused to listen to her. After a while, things started to seem hopeless. How do you put together a million piece puzzle? How do you repair broken glass?

xxx

_**Author's Note: **Okay so the ruler thing or whatever was being freakish ahaha. Hopefully Chapter 6 will be up sooon, though I'm not making any promises. _

**_Fig_**


	6. Chapter 6: And Now It's All Collapsed

_**Author's Note: **Ello. So ermm...this is Chapter 6. This chapter has a bit more Raine and Rebecca in it, which is good. Oh and Chapter 11 of HAHB has a bit more of them in it too. On a more productive revising note haha, I added song lyrics (just a few lines) to the beginning of each chapter. And uhhh yeaaah. The beginning is also very different. There's about 5 whole added paragraphs. So that's all. Enjoy :)_

_Chapter 6: And Now It's All Collapsed…_

And oh I scream for you  
Hurry I'm fallin', I'm fallin', I'm fallin'

_- Savin' Me, Nickelback_

"Zack's getting better," Carey drilled her youngest son with this small bit of information at least three times a day. Since Cody now refused to see his brother, she seemed to feel obligated to drill him with whatever the doctors told her during the day and over the phone. But she wasn't getting through to him. Cody refused to speak or listen to _anyone_, which included Carey, Raine, Rebecca, Zack, Maddie, teachers, guidance counselors, et cetera.

Zack, on the other hand, was indeed getting better. His fever was reducing and he could, finally, with a large amount of effort pull himself up to a full sitting position. About a week after the unfortunate incident which silenced his twin, Zack was taken off the respirator, hopefully permanently. His attitude has definitely improved too, though he couldn't ignore the gnawing guilty feeling in the pit of his stomach when Cody was brought into a conversation. He missed Cody. He wanted him back. He wanted to tell him he was sorry.

Cody spent most of his time in his room, refusing to eat and talk to anyone. Carey had to drag him out for school and almost carry him kicking and screaming to the car for therapy.

And if there was one thing that Cody hated more than his mother at that point, it was therapy. Sitting across from a lady obviously getting frustrated with his silence, while he stared blankly out a window, frosted over from the mid march snow that was expected.

Today he was particularly aggravated as he sat, staring blankly at the chalkboard during sixth period. Aware of Rebecca and Raine's eyes following his every move, he turned away from the board and out the window, turning half his body as he did so.

Ms. Collins didn't seem to mind; all of his teachers' had gotten used to his ignoring silent manner.

Raine and Rebecca did mind though. And as he turned, the two glanced at each other and nodded defiantly. They were **going** to talk to him. After class. _Today._ _Together_.

The bell sounded and the pair nodded again as Cody rose from his seat, grabbing his backpack off the back of his chair and almost running out of the room. Rebecca and Raine followed.

"CODY!" Raine shouted, rushing down the hall after him, weaving her way through groups of kids. Cody quickened his pace.

"CODY…C'MON TALK TO US!" Rebecca added, quickly catching up with Raine.

Cody started running, not really caring if a teacher stopped him. Raine and Rebecca weaved through more students, not quite running but not quite walking.

"COOOODDDDDYYYY" Rebecca strained, her impatience starting to take effect.

It happened so fast that at first, they could merely stand frozen in their tracks as Cody swayed and crumpled to the floor. Raine recovered first.

"CODY!" She screamed as she ran across the tiled floor, falling to her knees beside him.

"Cody?" Her voice shook slightly as she patted his face, cradling him in her lap, "C'mon, Cody."

Rebecca, who had also knelt, stood and looked around anxiously. Everyone had gone to catch their buses. But _someone_ had to be around, right?

"HELP!" She shouted, her voice echoing off the lockers, "Somebody! PLEASE!"

"Coody, please," Raine begged, tears swimming in her eyes.

"What is going on out here!"

Both girls' eyes snapped up at the sudden male voice. Mr. Wilson, who, they now realized, had his classroom almost directly beside where they were sitting, had come to help.

Rebecca gestured with a shaky hand at Cody, still lying unconscious across Raine's lap, "He-he c-collapsed."

Mr. Wilson looked surprised for a brief moment, but he too was soon on the floor, checking for a pulse. Sighing, clearly relieved, he stood and turned to Rebecca.

"Go and get the school nurse," He instructed her. Rebecca ran off in the direction of the nurse's office.

"Cody?" Raine whispered softly, "Cody please."

Raine lifted her head as she felt a gentle hand against her arm,

"He'll be fine," Mr. Wilson assured her, with a nod of his head.

As if on cue, Cody's eyes opened heavily. He sat up, mildly confused, and rubbed his head where a headache was slowly growing.

Raine held him tighter, tears spilling over, "Oh my gosh, Cody!"

Cody acted as though he hadn't heard her, or the relief evident in her voice.

Rebecca and the nurse showed up soon after. Rebecca near strangled him as she hugged him.

The nurse checked him over, asking him questions which Cody didn't answer and were then directed towards the two girls.

Nearly ten minutes later the nurse nodded as she stood from the floor,

"Whatever it was, he seems fine now. Better just get him home."

The girls nodded as Mr. Wilson returned to his classroom and the nurse to her office.

Cody forced himself to stand, only to get lightheaded and stumble backwards into Raine's open arms.

"We'll walk you home, okay?" Rebecca asked him, though it really wasn't a question as she and Raine gently supported him and began the trek down the hall.

xxx

Raine fumbled with the doorknob as they reached the Martin's suite.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Rebecca asked sourly, rolling her eyes, "It's probably locked."

Raine scowled as she tried the knob again, "Is not. Why would it be locked?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe so some burglar doesn't _break in_!"

"First of all, he wouldn't be _breaking in_ if it wasn't locked," Raine pointed out.

"And second of all," She added with a smirk, "It isn't locked." The door swung open to reveal the suite.

Rebecca glared at Raine as Carey rushed over and almost carried Cody to the couch, forcing him to lie down.

"What happened?" She asked, clearly alarmed, as she gently stroked her youngest son's hair.

"He…he collapsed," Raine answered.

"In the hallway, a-at school," Rebecca added, suddenly very interested in her hands.

Carey turned to Cody, who nodded sullenly. Carey sighed as she rested her hand on the side of his forehead.

"What am I going to do with you?" She mumbled under her breath, to herself.

Cody's eyes averted themselves to the floor.

xxx

Raine walked down the hallway a bit later, having come from Rebecca's suite where they'd been finishing up homework. They'd gotten stuck on a particular tricky math equation (where the old Cody really would've been helpful) and she was already five minutes late coming home.

"Zack!" A small voice whimpered from inside a suite near where Raine had been walking. Raine's head darted around. It was Cody's suite.

Remembering Rebecca's retorts about not knocking, Raine banged hard on the door,

"Cody? Cody, let me in!" she shouted, "Cody…Cody it's Raine! C'mon!"

Frustrated, Raine twisted the knob and let herself in. Cody was lying on the couch, asleep, which would've been completely normal except for the fact that he was crying.

Raine smiled softly, for no apparent reason, and sat down on the couch next to him.

"Cody…" She whispered gently, "Cody wake up."

Cody squirmed and slapped her hands away.

"Codyy…C'mon wake up."

Cody subconsciously pushed her away again.

"Coddyyyyy."

Unexpectedly, Cody shot almost straight up, breathing hard, tears running down his face, pushing her away.

Raine backed away, heart racing from the sudden shock.

"Cody…" She whispered softly.

Cody's head snapped up to meet hers, eyes lingering on hers for a fleeting moment before snapping down, the back of his hand rubbing at them fiercly.

"Cody, what's wrong?"

Cody fingered the fringe sewn to the bright red blanket covering him, refusing to answer.

"C'mon, Cody, tell me…"

Cody studied the pattern decorating the carpet.

Raine bit her lower lip. She wasn't going to beg. Raine rose from her seat and left the suite, glancing back once, meeting Cody's devastated eyes once more.

xxx

_**Author's Note:** Chapter 7 will be up soon. I'm about 3 weeks into school and I'm starting to adjust so hopefully there will be more frequent updates. _

_**Fig**_


	7. Chapter 7: Tempers Flare

**Author's Note:** Ello. Yes it's that time again. Time for a new update. So I combined two chapters together for this. Tweaked a bunch of stuff, basically the usual revision schtuff. lol. Gah. Nothing else to say but, ENJOY!

__

Chapter 7: Tempers Flare

Oh, I've had it up to,

Oh, I've had it up to,

Oh, I've had it up to here.

_- Just the Girl, No Doubt _

Rebecca's fingers drummed against her chin as she sat in her suite, bored out of her mind.

She'd tried to call Zack, but a nurse had answered the phone and told her he'd gone for some tests.

And then she'd tried to call Raine, but Raine was either ignoring the phone or had gone out somewhere. But Raine hadn't been answering her phone all week, so it wasn't exactly surprising.

She'd even considered calling Cody up and had had the phone number half dialed before she realized that he wouldn't talk to her. He'd been doing a bit better, since his little erm…incident. But he was still refusing to talk to anyone.

Thinking about Cody got Rebecca thinking again.

_"Maddie's babysitting him tonight…"_ She mused, _"I could talk to Maddie…it'd be better than sitting here doing nothing…"_

Rebecca nodded defiantly. Yes, that's exactly what she would do. And with that in mind, she pulled herself from the couch and walked to the Martins' suite down the hall.

Maddie answered the door after two knocks, "Oh hey, Rebecca!"

"Hey Cody look who's here," She announced to Cody, who, Rebecca was relieved to see, was sitting at the table eating. He glanced up, but said nothing.

"Come on in," Maddie said as she shut the door.

"Thanks," Rebecca said with a smile. Maddie nodded as she cleared away her dirty dishes from the table and went to use the bathroom, leaving them somewhat alone.

Rebecca seated herself across from Cody, watching him eat. She drummed her fingers on the table, almost impatiently. Cody glanced up at her a few times but still didn't speak.

Rebecca sighed loudly, "How long are you planning on keep this up?"

Cody lifted his head and stared at her.

"C'mon Cody. Why won't you talk to me?" She continued, "Or Maddie? Or Raine? Or your mom? Or…or Zack?"

Cody's face hardened into an ice cold look as he stood and stormed off to his bedroom, leaving his food unfinished on the table.

"_Fine_!" Rebecca yelled, rising from her own seat, "Don't talk to me! _See if I care!"_

Cody angrily slammed the door, glaring at her once more. Rebecca shot him her own cold look and left, slamming the door behind her.

Cody slowly slid down the back of his door, his head falling into his knees as he cried.

* * *

Rebecca stormed back to her suite, banging her door shut behind her furiously. She collapsed onto the couch, fuming and breathing hard.

_"Well at least I'm not bored anymore…"_ She thought, trying to make things seem brighter, _"But now I'm mad at Cody, the _worst_ possible place to be!"_

Rebecca snatched a pillow and screamed into it, not carrying that she was disturbing the _entire_ hotel.

The phone rang loudly. Rebecca scowled and tossed the pillow aside. It hit a lamp and broke it.

_"Great. Just _grea_t," _She thought sarcastically as she snatched the phone off the cradle.

"Hello?" She snapped, much angrier than she'd expected.

"Hi," Zack's thin voice was heard on the other end.

"Oh…hi, Zack."

"What's up?" Zack asked, a bit concerned.

"Your _stupid_ brother!" She blurted out.

"Wha…why? What happened?"

"He's mad at me, for no reason!"

"What else?"

"What d'you mean 'What else?'" Rebecca snapped. What else could there _possibly_ be?

"What else…what'd you do?"

"What did _I_ do?"

"Well you _had_ to do something. Cody doesn't just get mad for no reason…"

"So this is _my_ fault now?" Rebecca shrieked indignantly.

"Well it's not_ his_!"

"So it _is_ mine!"

"No! Rebecca!"

"WHAT?"

"You don't have to yell at me."

"I can't help it! Your brother's being really ignorant right now!"

"_He's_ being ignorant?"

"_Yes_!"

"I'm not listening to this."

Rebecca heard a click and knew Zack had hung up.

"FINE," She yelled to no one, "FINE!"

Rebecca hung up the phone.

* * *

"CODY!" Maddie shouted through the bedroom door, rolling her eyes impatiently, "Cody let me in. _Now!_"

A click was heard as Cody locked the door.

"CODY LET ME IN!"

There was a shuffling across the floor and Maddie's hopes rose a bit, but a heavy bang against the door wiped them out completely.

"CODY! C'mon! Let's talk!"

Nothing.

"CODY! AT LEAST TALK TO ME!"

Nothing.

"CODY OPEN THIS DOOR! RIGHT NOW!" Maddie pounded on the door, her impatience level rising.

"_LEAVE ME ALONE!" _Maddie jumped as Cody's voice echoed through the living room.

"Cody," She began again, a bit gentler, "Cody, _please_."

"JUST GO AWAY!" Cody's distraught voice pleaded again.

"Cody…I'll be out here if you need me."

Maddie left it at that.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **YAY! The little line thing is working again:D_

**_Fig_**


	8. Chapter 8: It's All My Fault

_**Author's Note:** Yeah, I know what you're thinking. I haven't updated since, well, September. But I got randomly inspired this week, so here you have it. Hopefully, I'll continue to be inspired and, you know, write more. And school's a bear but it's almost over and as soon as I get this stupid research paper out of the way I'll have like, oodles of free time, well. Then there's finals. Bah, I hate the last month of school. _

_Chapter 9: It's All My Fault_

I'll be there for you  
When the rain starts to pour

_- I'll Be There For You, The Rembrants_

"Rebecca, you _need_ to talk to him, _need to_!"

Rebecca shook her head briskly, "No way. We're through. We've been over this before Raine."

Raine nodded solemnly at her friend, "I know. But he misses you Becca. And you two are _perfect_ for each other."

"If we're so perfect then why'd we break up?" Rebecca challenged.

"Because you're _so much_ alike. You're both _incredibly_ stubborn. And Zack was only sticking up for Cody."

"Yeah well, he didn't have to dump everything on _me_. It's not _my_ fault."

"Then who's is it?"

"I just had this conversation with Zack and now _we're_ having it?" Rebecca sighed, "Raine _please_. Just leave me alone already."

Raine let her head fall into her hands as Rebecca left the lunch table.

* * *

Raine grimaced as she walked down the hallway, on her way to Zack's room. If Rebecca wouldn't give in, then maybe Zack would.

She knocked softly on the door, just in case he was sleeping or something. Of course…why the door was closed in the first place would have been a mystery to her had she not been preoccupied with Zack and Rebecca's love lives.

Shrugging she turned the knob and opened the door, not expecting what came next.

Zack was sitting up in bed, his head in his hands, crying softly- which, obviously, was a shock to Raine who hadn't seen him cry in, well…ever.

"Zack…?"

Zack glanced up at her, quickly wiping his tears with the back of his hand.

"Zack, what's wrong?" Raine asked gently. Zack shook his head quickly, burying it in his knees.

"C'mon, Zack," She whispered softly.

"This is all my fault."

"What is?"

"_This_. Cody's mad at Rebecca and Rebecca's mad at Cody and Rebecca's mad at me and…everything's messed up. And none of this would've happened if I wouldn't've passed out in our living room. It is my fault, it is."

"No it's not! I told you before! No one, including you, could've predicted that you'd be here right now."

Zack shrugged limply.

Raine nudged him, "C'mon, it's not. Don't blame yourself, Zack. That's not going to help anyone."

Zack nodded, but the tears continued to fall harshly down his face.

Raine embraced him gently as he sobbed into her shoulder.

"Thanks," Zack whispered after a while, pulling away.

"What friends are for," Raine replied with a loose shrug.

Zack sighed and twisted the blanket fitfully.

"You miss her, don't you?"

Zack looked up, "Who?"

"Becca."

He nodded.

"When was she here last?"

Zack shrugged, "'bout a week ago."

"You should call her," Raine mused.

Zack shrugged again, "Don't think she really wants to talk to me right now."

Raine stood slowly, "I better go. I have to be at dance in an hour."

Zack nodded slowly.

"Hey, Raine?"

"Yeah?" She asked, turning.

"Will you uh tell Cody…I uh…I miss him."

Raine smiled gently, "Of course."

* * *

**_Author's Note:_** _Reviews? Please? If I even have readers left..._


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